Stravaganza: City of Dreams
by readingrox101
Summary: Patricia and Arthur stravagate to Torrone and Luciano and Arianna are married! Sorry Guys, but I've lost my momentum, so I'm discontinuing this story! :
1. Presents

Hi people! So, this takes place after all of the

Chapter 1

Tears welled up in Patricia's eyes as she placed a bunch of flowers beside a pure white gravestone. Bluebells, little John's favorites. She missed so many things about her little brother- like how he used to lie in his woods and watch the clouds go by, saying that he could see the angels and saints peeking out from behind the sky. He had been a great comfort to her all of his short life.

Patricia heard someone next to her and didn't have to turn to know that her companion was Arthur, her twin and closest confidant, and, with John gone, the only immediate family left.

As if reading her thoughts, Arthur smiled a tight smile that turned into a kind of grimace. "We still have Mrs. Haversham," but his sister just sighed and shook her head sadly.

"But Mrs. H is still not our real mom- she can not take the place of Mom and Dad." Patricia was sick of going from foster- parent to foster- parent. She used to have a sweet little family named the Rosses, but that had all changed when, five years ago, their house had burned down and taken the lives of her parents and her other little brother, Teddy. Patricia, and Arthur, age 10, and John, age 6 had been taken to an orphanage in London, where they had gone to four different families and finally gotten adopted by an aging school teacher who wanted kids. John was 11 when he had succumbed to cancer that destroyed his liver and heart.

Now 15-year old Patricia made a silent vow to her late brother that she would honor his wishes. She had found in a journal in his room when packing away his things that told how much he wanted to go skydiving and dance in the moonlight at least once in his life. Patricia would have to do those things for him since he… she did not want to think those things now on such a perfect afternoon.

"Anyway, we got packages from great-aunt Petunia" said Arthur, eager to change the subject, "I bet it is our birthday presents." The twins had their birthday on August 28, and the few presents they got were mostly from their mother's aunt and Mrs. Haversham.

Patricia stood up and dusted off her jeans, then followed her brother out of the cemetery and down the lane towards the red brick house that they shared with Mrs. Haversham. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, smelling that fresh, green smell of summer. How could she be unhappy on such a beautiful day?

As she walked with her twin, Patricia studied his sauntering figure. Arthur was tall and lanky, with curly, mouse brown hair covering his head. He had dark brown puppy eyes that twinkled when he smiled, and a small nose that twitched when he wasn't happy. His tan nose was speckled with freckles, and his thin mouth had a permanent upward curve, giving him the impression that he could always laugh.

Patricia herself had dark, brown hair that cascaded down her head in graceful waves to her shoulders. Her eyes were hazel, with green and gold specks, and long eyelashes. Her olive-brown skin was dotted with freckles. Even though they were twins, Patricia and Arthur could not look more different.

As they stepped into their house, Arthur and Patricia saw two small boxes that were labeled with their names. When Patricia opened hers she smiled and lifted out a silver teddy bear holding a scroll. Next to it was a note that read:

Happy Birthday Patricia! I was looking in a store a few moths back when I was visiting you, and I saw this lovely teddy bear that had your name written all over it. Hope it goes with your collection! Love, Aunt Petunia

Patricia chuckled when she read this, for she had a hobby of collecting things, and one of her favorite collections was a shelf of teddy bears, all different from one another. But this certain teddy bear had a pull, as if it were calling to her. Patricia checked the name on the tag: Lavender Blue- just what she would have called it, or her, according to the tag.

Setting Lavender down on a table next to her, Patricia glanced at Arthur, who wore an embarrassed, but somewhat pleased look on his face. In his hand was a thick, dusty tome titled: Mother Goose Rhymes for All Times. His sister could barely keep a straight face when she saw this, for her manly brother would usually turn his nose down at such immature literature. But now he was looking at the book with a certain amount of interest. She wondered if it had an enticing feel, like the teddy bear in her hand.

Patricia decided to sleep with her new teddy bear that night, and so after she had changed into her pajamas, and brushed her teeth, she curled up under her fluffy, purple comforter with Lavender under her arm. She read some of her book, Stories From 16th Century Italy, and then lay down and tried to go to sleep, which usually was not very hard for her. But tonight it was almost impossible, which was a surprise in itself. Little did she know what would happen to her in the near future. Finally, after 2 hours, Patricia fell into a fitful sleep, dreaming of the romance, treachery, and a certain amount of magic like that in her book.

Meanwhile, Arthur tossed and turned in the next room, oblivious to the fact that his twin was not falling asleep, either. He lay on his back, staring at the red ceiling of his room, and wishing he had the sleeping skills of Patricia. She could fall asleep the moment her head hit the pillow. _Then I would not have to think so much, and be sad about my miserable life, _he thought. His school work had taken a turn for the worse, no matter how much Arthur studied, and he had no social skills at all, making him the most shunted kid in his whole school, Barnsbury Comprehensive

Arthur then switched his mind to the thought of the nursery rhymes that his great aunt Petunia had given him. He had wanted to read it, for it somehow had caught his attention the way other books about kid's stuff had not. He somehow really wanted to read it, but he rarely found any form of poem or children's story even important enough to keep. His great aunt, of course, did not notice this about him, and so she had picked the worse gift ever. But, she had also picked the best, since this old stack of pages was almost begging to be read, literally.

Then he had opened it up, but found it written in a language he did not know. He set out to sell the book right away, since he could not read it, but his twin had stopped him, saying the writing looked like Old Italian, that it was priceless, and please could she study it? He had relented, of course, since she had rarely looked this excited, but said the book was to stay in his room.

He now wondered if the volume was really Old Italian, and if so, how could it be priceless? Arthur thought about the old saying, _one man's trash is another man's treasure_. According to Patricia, it was priceless, but to him, it was an immature, if strange, book that interested him. He refused to believe it was anything else, since he strongly believed reasoning- that is, sayings.

He got out of bed and got the book from his shelf, and stared at it for a wile, imagining that he could read it. Then his jaw dropped and his eyes almost popped out of his head, for one paragraph had translated into English. Confused, the boy put the book under his pillow and turned on his side and fell asleep wondering if his small family could get any weirder. Trust in Patricia to think of an old book as priceless and turn to old Aunt Petunia to send you an old-_self translating_ -book as a gift.

When Patricia opened her eyes, she almost thought she was still dreaming, but four things quickly became apparent to her. (1) She was lying on the floor in a room that was totally different than her lavishly decorated, purple and green suite;(2) Arthur was beside her. He jerked awake and stared around at the unfamiliar, cellar-like room. The only things in it were empty crates stacked by one wall, and bird perches and seed were thrown against another. The walls and floor were stone; and the floor was covered with straw. (3) Patricia heard wedding bells, though she knew not of a marriage. And last, the teen was used to hearing screaming in the city, but here it seemed out of place, even freaky. Whether the high-pitched shrieks she heard from close by- maybe even in the next room- were from terror or delight, Patricia did not know.


	2. Of Screaming Children And I Do's

Chapter 2

Luciano Crinamorte wondered if anything could make him more joyful than the beaming young woman striding up the red carpet on the arm of her beloved father, flocked by four foot soldiers, twelve footmen, three ladies in waiting, and all the important people in Talia that had any relation to the bride.

He had fallen in love with Arianna Rossi before she had all that glamour and the titles-when she was just a lowly island girl, the only child to be born on this island, Torrone. Now they were back at this place, where Arianna's former adoptive parents - her real aunt and uncle- and Grandmother lived, and where they would finally be united forever.

_Arianna Crinamorte,_ mused the Duchessa of Bellezza as her father led her down a wide street in the wedding procession, _I like that. Now nothing can keep Luciano and I apart. No scheming Grand Duke, no princes vying for my hand. I am a Duchessa-no, I am _the _Duchessa of Bellezza, and now I am walking towards my love…_ then all thought stopped as the young woman turned a corner and caught sight of the handsome Cavalier of Bellezza that she would be with for the rest of her life. He was handsome, sweet, and wonderful, and Arianna Rossi was glad that she had the chance to marry for love. Her stride lengthened involuntarily, and in no time she was in front of the steps leading to the altar in the grand cathedral of the Maddalena. The priest intoned the greeting, and her father handed her into the arms of Luciano Crinamorte, the love of her life.

Due to Belezzian tradition, Luciano and Arianna could not come in any contact with each other for a week before their wedding, so as to create more love between them.

Arianna had not seen her cavalier since he had gotten back from the university where he had become an official gentleman that the court thought would be a worthy man for their leader. After a brief, but wonderful greeting, Arianna's maids had carted her off for a fitting with her grandmother the lace maker. It was she who had made the simple, yet ornate gown of ivory that the bride was wearing now. She had been separated from her Luciano since then, since they even ate meals in different rooms.

Luciano smiled at her when he took her hand, but his mind seemed elsewhere. His eyes kept darting to a part of the corridor surrounding the cathedral that was wrapped in darkness. His shoulders seemed tense, and his whole body was on alert, ready to unsheathe the long, ceremonial sword hanging at his side that was both decorative and a very lethal weapon. Arianna wondered what was wrong, but could not dwell on it, since the priest had begun the ceremony.

All she could do was stare into his big, brown eyes that all "Englishmen" have. She must have said all the correct things, for when her mind finally came back to focus, her mother was about to take off Arianna's mask.

There was someone in the shadows. Not just one person, but two people, and they did not want to be seen. Luciano's whole body was on alert, for in Talia, if they wanted to kill someone, it was not against the law. There were many people who would take the chance to kill the people in the room. Luciano shuddered involuntarily, remembering the last wedding he had attended, which had ended in total catastrophe due to at least two assassination attempts. The two shadows trying not to be seen might be the ones who would want to kill Arianna, or anyone else important.

He tried to hide the tenseness in his body from Arianna, because she could tell immediately that he was worried, and that might make her anxious, too. He caught her eye and gave her a wonderful smile, and she beamed back, but Luciano knew that she had noticed, and she was wondering. Then, the young bridegroom saw out of the corner of his eye Angelica, the old dove woman of the Torrone orphanage and a great Stravagante, walk into the shadows to confront the uninvited guests. She reemerged a moment later followed by two young people and gave Luciano the signal that all was well. His whole body relaxed, and when seeing this, Arianna's face relaxed into a real grin.

Then, the last part of the wedding came. Silvia, Arianna's real mother and past Duchessa of Bellezza stepped forward and slipped the simple swans down and amethyst

mask off of her daughter's beautiful face and laid it on the ceremonial cushion of deep red that a small page was struggling to carry. Then, Arianna's father, Rodolpho, came and placed a silver circlet connected by a thick rope of silver on both the young people's heads. They turned to the crowd of people jostling to get closer to the new Duke and the Duchessa of Bellezza, finally united forever, as the bishop intoned the final words, the ones that made everyone's heart sing.

"I now pronounce you, Luciano Crinamorte, and you, Arianna Rossi, Man and lovely Wife!" The whole cathedral shook as all of Torrone yelled and screamed, exalting the new couple, who were sharing a kiss full of love, adventures, and fond memories.

Children were screaming at the top of their lungs. Arthur had to plug his ears as he peeked into the room where the screams were coming from. At least he could talk in his normal voice instead of whispering, but he barely heard his sister when she said something. "What?" he asked as he glanced into the room again, hoping for a better look. The space was small, with the same stonewalls and floor in their room. It only just fit the gaggle of shrieking six year olds and three or four anxious looking girls hurrying around trying to quell the children's delighted cries of, "Luciano and Arianna sitting in a gondola, C-O-U-R-T-I-N-G! First comes love, then comes marriage-today! Then comes their heir in the baby crib Hurray!

"I said 'I think this is an Italian home with lots of children. Since I know Italian better than you, maybe I should take the lead, because I can even speak some Italian.' I think that we need to stay hidden and not be seen until we figure out what is happening to us. Here, I think the front door is thataway, so lets go down this corridor." Patricia was getting impatient, even though she was very good at waiting. She led the way down a shadowy tunnel that was lit by a few torches that Patricia said was pig's fat, by the smell. They turned a corner, then another, until they were utterly lost. Then they retraced their steps back to the room of screaming adolescents. At least they weren't being murdered.

"Now what do we do?" moaned Arthur. He was tired and hungry, and the children had started chanting, making his head hurt.

"Good question- you come with me." Patricia whipped around and squeaked, making her brother look over her shoulder at a tall, young lady dressed in an old fashioned dress that made you think of flowers, or a garden. She smiled cheerfully at the twins, and turned on her heels, motioning them to follow. "We are glad that you finally came, because we were expecting you on this fine day, since you can meet everyone."

Arthur and his twin looked questioningly at each other. How had the tall, thin woman been expecting them to come here now, when they did not even know where Here was, or who she was? Could they even trust her and follow her? Patricia shrugged, and they followed the woman into another corridor.

Arthur watched the stout-looking lady. She had red hair hanging thick and straight down her back, stopping just short of her shoulder blades. Her eyes were close together right above her small nose, and her wide smile seemed genuine. She checked to see if the teens were behind her, then opened a door that Arthur had not realized was there in the dim light.

As the woman closed the door behind them, they expected sunlight to blind their eyes, but instead it was streaming through the stained glass windows that were positioned throughout the great hall that they had entered.

Then, the teen's guide strolled in front of them. "Welcome to the great Cathedral of the Maddalena on the island of Torrone! I am Claudia, and I apologize for the lack of information I've given you, but most of it you don't need to know yet."

They were in a huge cathedral with walls covered with colorful mosaics. At one end of the room was a huge organ with pipes running up to the extremely high ceiling, and an old woman in a gray robe was playing the wedding march with great zeal. In an inlet in the wall stood a great bath without taps, most likely the baptismal fount. The pews were filled with people wearing dresses and old-fashioned men's wear very much like the woman who had led the twins here was wearing. A red carpet ran down middle of the pews, ending at the wide steps leading up to the alter. An important looking priest stood in front of a beautiful couple whose joyous faces brightened the whole building. Two women stood to the side of the girl, and four men stood diagonal to the man.

Arthur guessed that this was the source of the wedding bells that he had heard when he had first opened his eyes. He scanned the crowd, wondering if the couple was the one that all those children had been rhyming about. When his eyes circled back to the young man at the front, he relooked at his face. The man being married to the joyous woman looked exactly like…

"Patricia, did you see…" He glanced at his sister and found that she was staring at the stained glass windows, her eyes thoughtful.

"Hmmm?" She didn't look away from the windows while she spoke, "I was just admiring those windows. When the light shines through them, they look absolutely glorious. Sorry, what did you say?" Patricia peeled her eyes away, and looked at her brother. He wordlessly pointed a shaking finger at the man that was now giving the woman a ring, and Patricia focused on him. Then, her face turned white, and her mouth hung wide open like a huge, gaping cave.

"But… th, that's impossible!" she stammered

"Totally unpredictable," he countered, always the logical one.

"It can't be,"

"But…"

The twins stared at each other, horrified.

"Lucien is supposed to be dead!"


	3. Party With A Dead Man

Chapter 3

The Grand Duke of Tuschia was positively revolted at the thought of the Duchessa of Bellezza. She had refused his brother, Geanteo, and then his late father, Niccolo di Chimici. She had then married his mortal enemy, Luciano.

Fabrizio di Chimici was only twenty-three, but he ruled half of Talia, the cluster of city-states in Europa, along with his entire family. Those city-states that were under his rule were called the Republic, though the government was far from that.

How he wanted to take revenge on Bellezza for refusing to join his Republic! The man smiled evilly as a terrible plan began to form in his mind, a tiny seed nurtured by his loathing. The girl-ruler Arianna would only give up her rule if something she loved was in danger. She loved only her Luciano, her father, her closest advisors, and the Belezzian islands. Fabrizio would pick off each one until she consented to join the Republic. If she were as faithful as her mother had been, the Republic would soon have another city-state. This time he would not fail.

The girl's father-that freak scientist Rodolfo Rossi would have to go first.

The wedding was almost over when another, older woman trotted over to Patricia and Arthur. She was short and plump, and her wavy red hair was turning grey. Her sharp, lined face was severe enough to quiet a grackle, and the scent of bird droppings wafted toward the teens as she neared them. She seemed to glide rather than walk, and she had a certain aura of purpose surrounding her. The cold eyes softened when she saw Patricia, and her smile became real, but that did not stop her from scrutinizing the teens from head to toe.

When she spoke, her voice crackled like dry parchment. "I am Angelica. We are all very glad that you are here. Come, follow me and I will lead you to your seats for the rest of the wedding."

Arthur moved to follow her, but Patricia held out an arm to stop him, and then spoke to Angelica, who was already turning to go. "We won't go anywhere with you until you answer some of our questions! How can we trust you?"

Angelica pursed her lips, and crossed her beefy arms, and then she said, "All will be revealed to you in good time, but that is not now. There is a wedding going on here-"

"Aha! So I was right about at least one thing around here." Patricia turned to Arthur and gave him an "I- Am-So-Much-Better-Than-You" expression that she often used. "told you it was a wedding!"

"The time for chit-chat is not now," Angelica continued as though Patricia had not spoken, "Although, if you would like to stay in blissful ignorance, I could leave you here, and you could keep on thinking this is a dream. I, on the other hand would like to go back to my seat to watch the remainder of the wedding. My old limbs can't take all this standing."

Arthur looked pointedly at Patricia, and his twin sighed. Shaking her head, she walked after Arthur and Angelica to some seats at the edge of the crowd. She watched as the wedding went on, and Angelica explained that the couple was Luciano and Arianna. They were both very important people, but when Patricia pressed any more, Angelica shut up tight.

A middle-aged woman who seemed to carry herself with the same defiant, regal posture as the beautiful Arianna lifted the delicate white mask off of her face, and Patricia realized that the two women were probably related.

A tall man with silvery hair and sharp features stepped up to the wedding couple and placed silver wreaths on their heads, and Luciano kissed his new wife as the cathedral was filled with voices.

The exuberant hollering was not all coming from inside the church, so Patricia guessed that there were more people outside, rejoicing in the marriage of these two people. However, she did not expect to see thousands of people streaming to the Maddalena to feast when the doors of the great cathedral were opened. Hundreds and thousands of people were yelling happily for the couple. The marble steps leading down from the doors were already filled with people. As Patricia was swept with the tide, she watched people set up trestle tables, while others filled the already-standing tables with food until they sagged under the weight. The wide street was also bustling with people, and they were pushing carts laden with food. There were sweet tarts filled with blackberry custard, delicate pastries, five kinds of bread including banana bread, great wheels of cheese, exotic fruits some of which Patricia could not name, fish and hams, and wooden barrels flowing with rich wine, which the people didn't hesitate to pour for a moment. It seemed that the island was preparing to eat itself to death.

The people made a circle, and couples began to join hands in the middle to dance. An orchestra was playing song that seemed to be a sort of renaissance waltz; Patricia wished she knew how to dance.

The revelries did not slow as the night wore on. After what seemed to Arthur as hours, Angelica came over and stood with the twins, and explained that "Belezzians" loved to party.

" I have explained to the others about you coming," Angelica said, "And they are very excited to meet you. But the happy couple wanted to dance first. After this song, Luciano will come introduce Arianna." She glanced at Patricia, who was staring at Luciano with a frown. "What's the frown for?" she asked.

"It's Luciano. He looks a lot like my late cousin, Lucien. But that's impossible, right?" Patricia asked, glancing up at Angelica.

"Oh, but don't you know? Of course you don't-silly me, I forgot to tell you!" Angelica chuckled, " Luciano Crinamorte, formerly known as-"

"Lucien Mulholland?" Arthur cut her off excitedly.

"Yes. He did die in your world, but he was translated here. I can't explain it, but

Rodolpho will make you understand it soon enough." Angelica answered.

"So that is our cousin…" Patricia murmured, then her eyes lit up, "But if he is dead, then this is heaven, and we are dead too!"

"Oh, no! This place is far from heaven, dear," Patricia turned to find Claudia, who had first led them to the cathedral, standing behind her.

"So, where is this place? And who is this Rodolpho you keep on speaking of?" Arthur asked. "And who are you?"

"Me? Oh, I'm Angelica, the caretaker of the city doves. And this is my daughter, she takes care of the orphans in the city. As for where you are, this city is Torrone, an island of Bellezza, and today you are watching the Duchessa of Bellezza marry the love of her life, the stravagate Luciano Crinamorte, the Cavalier of Bellezza. But I'm guessing you already know that, and you are specifically asking what you are doing here. That will be answered in due time. Ah, here's the happy couple!" Angelica babbled, opening her arms wide and crinkling her eyes with her wide smile.


End file.
